The next morning, everything felt strangely… normal.
Alex stepped into the Steel Enterprises building, her heels clicking over polished marble floors, and for a moment, she could pretend the past few days hadn’t happened at all. No drug warehouses. No sleepless drives through the countryside. No alliances with criminals or whispered threats in the dark.
Just the office.
Just numbers and contracts and the kind of chaos she knew how to fix.
She let out a long breath as she sat behind her desk. Her new assistant handed her the morning reports, wide-eyed and cautious, as if expecting to be fired too. Alex nodded silently and began to skim through them. Meetings. Updates. Shareholder notices. It felt almost peaceful, in a warped kind of way.
At least she wasn’t sweating in some back-alley drug pit anymore.
At least she wasn’t sleeping in fear someone would stab her in her sleep.
She got through the day with machine-like precision, shutting her mind to everything that wasn’t tangible. Work made sense. Paperwork didn’t lie. People did. Emotions did. But spreadsheets?
They didn’t.
By six, she met Arthur at the usual corner bistro downtown. He had already ordered coffee for both of them, and the second she sat down, he leaned in.
“So,” he said, eyes sharp. “What the hell happened?”
Alex didn’t waste time.
She told him everything—about the journey, about David Brown, about the drugs, about the test she failed but apparently passed anyway. About the moment David called the Hales their mutual enemy. Arthur didn’t interrupt. He didn’t take notes either, which meant he was listening with his full brain.
By the time she finished, his cup was cold and untouched.
“That’s…” he exhaled. “That’s huge.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “You think he’ll actually help us?”
“I think he has every reason to,” Arthur replied. “You said it yourself. He wants revenge, and you just gave him a reason to fight smart instead of loud.”
Alex nodded slowly.
“He said he’d come find me in a few days. Until then…”
Arthur leaned back, thoughtful. “When he gets here, I want to meet him. Face to face. We could actually build a real case if we have him on our side. He’s dangerous, sure, but we can use that. As long as he doesn’t change his mind.”
Alex cracked a dry smile. “You haven’t met David. When he says he’ll kill someone, he means it.”
Arthur chuckled, but there was a weight in his eyes. “Good. We’ll need someone like that.”
They talked a little longer, laying out their next moves, when to meet again, what to research next. But as the evening deepened and the streetlights buzzed to life, Alex found herself restless.
After they parted ways, she wandered through the crowd-lined street, lighting a cigarette she hadn’t meant to smoke. She hated the taste. Hated how familiar it was now. Still, she took a drag and stared out at the city lights, letting the chaos blur around her.
She thought about Zade.
About how he'd tracked her down just to prove his innocence. About how his eyes looked when he said, I told you it wasn’t me.
Why had that mattered so much to him?
Why had it mattered to her?
She shook her head and took another drag.
“You really picked a bad habit, princess.”
The voice came from her left—familiar, arrogant, and soaked in disdain.
Her shoulders stiffened.
Andrea Hale.
He stood beside her like a shadow—clean suit, slicked-back hair, and that smug smirk she wanted to wipe off his face permanently.
Alex didn’t turn to him. “You’re stalking me now?”
Andrea scoffed. “Relax. I’m not here to do anything. Just to talk.”
She flicked her ash to the sidewalk, eyeing him warily. “Talk about what?”
He tilted his head, amused. “You were away for a few days. Get your head cleared? Or are you still on that stupid little mission to take down my family?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alex said coolly.
“Bullshit,” he snapped, his smirk hardening. “You’re still digging, still sniffing around like a dumb little mutt. And it’s starting to piss me off.”
Alex’s jaw clenched. “Maybe you’re just paranoid.”
Andrea stepped closer, just enough to make her spine straighten. “See, I get it. You don’t care what happens to you. You think you’re brave, untouchable. But maybe think a little bigger. About your loved ones.”
Alex’s cigarette froze in mid-air.
“What are you saying?”
He smiled. “Let’s say your parents are hard to get to. Fine. But what about someone a little more… accessible?”
She narrowed her eyes.
Andrea leaned in, lowering his voice. “Brenda. Your precious best friend.”
Alex’s blood went cold.
“You wouldn’t,” she said, voice flat.
“I already did,” he said lightly. “I sent her a threat once, remember? So don’t test me. Keep pushing, and you’ll see what else I’m willing to do.”
She said nothing.
She didn’t blink.
Andrea winked and turned, melting into the crowd like he’d never been there at all.
Alex crushed the cigarette beneath her heel, her fingers trembling as she shoved them into her coat pocket.
That night, she didn’t cry. She didn’t scream. She didn’t even tell Arthur.
She just drove home in silence.
***
When she entered the penthouse, the scent of chamomile tea drifted through the air. Luca was already in the living room, wearing a threadbare hoodie and holding two steaming cups.
He looked tired.
But when he saw her, he smiled softly. “Welcome home.”
Alex let her bag fall to the floor and hugged him. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and offered her the cup.
“Thanks,” she murmured, curling her fingers around the warmth.
They sat in silence for a while, the television playing some old documentary they weren’t watching. After a while, Luca spoke again.
“I hope you stopped with the whole idea of going against Zade.”
Alex tensed.
She wanted to scream no, to tell him everything—about Gale, about Andrea’s threat, about David Brown and the war she was building brick by brick. But she couldn’t. Not yet.
“Yeah,” she lied, taking a sip of her tea. “I did.”
Luca sighed in relief and hugged her tighter. “Good. Then we can move on. You can finally be happy.”
Another silence fell, heavier this time.
Then Luca chuckled softly and added, “Alright, then. Your engagement is in two days, remember?”
Alex froze.
She absolutely did not remember.
Her fingers clenched the ceramic mug.
“Oh,” she said faintly. “Right.”
Two days.
Two days until she stood beside the man she was trying to destroy.
Two days until she became his fiancée in front of the entire city.
Alex forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"Can't wait."